Culture Shock
by Nike Athena
Summary: Tsuna runs into the more European side of Italian culture.


**Culture Shock**

**Author's Notes and Miscellany:** Oh, just because. I laughed like hell at the thought of Tsuna coming into contact with the more touchy-feely parts of European culture, and this was produced in response.

* * *

Sawada Tsunayoshi figured he shouldn't have been surprised; since he smoked, Tsuna should have known that Gokudera was also prone to other similar activities, like drinking. That didn't help the reality of the situation, which was that Gokudera Hayato had imbibed a full glass of Italian vino.

Tsuna had gotten a call, not so long ago, from an excited Gokudera. He had just found an awesome arcade in the shopping district; did the 10th want to go? Of course, the baseball freak would be coming, too, but _that was all_. He promised.

Tsuna, unable to pull down Gokudera's spirits, had said yes, and set out to find Hayato. It was only when he was halfway into the town center when he realized Gokudera hadn't given them a place to meet. Tsuna had stopped in his tracks, unpleasantly startled, and was about to pull out his cell phone when he caught sight of a familiar silver mop of hair.

It appeared Gokudera had wanted to get something to eat, because he was sitting in a little outdoors café with another man; both had plates of foreign food and both were dining leisurely. From where he was standing, Tsuna couldn't tell exactly what they were talking about, but decided it probably was something comforting, judging by how not stressed out Gokudera was.

Unsure of how to proceed, Tsuna approached a few cautious meters more, to the distance where he was relatively certain they were talking in Italian and not Japanese, and was that the _school doctor_ Gokudera was with? Tsuna's mind, already numb with shock while he was trying to wrap his mind around this situation, felt himself go entirely braindead when Shamal took a mouthful of wine and offered the glass to Hayato. Gokudera, instead of being rational and explaining he was a minor to Shamal, took the glass and downed its contents, his silver hair flipping back, to the amusement of Shamal. The man took the empty glass and poured another, offering it again to Gokudera. The boy sipped it more slowly this time, settling back in his chair.

By this point, Tsuna was too utterly shocked to be appalled that an adult would be treating someone Gokudera's age in this way, and could only stare, until Dr. Shamal checked his watch and rose, Gokudera doing the same. Tsuna thought that by then nothing could surprise him, until the two leaned forward, Shamal grabbing Hayato's upper arms, and pressed kisses into each other's cheeks. Shamal (as if he hadn't just publicly kissed Hayato), moved off after tossing money down on the table.

Gokudera moved away from the table as well, stuffing his hands into his pockets, his eyes on the ground. Tsuna was too busy thinking of how to ask about the situation that had just occurred to recover from his brain-broken state, and was subsequently surprised when Gokudera noticed him.

"10th!" The foreign boy shouted, badly startling several people around him, and broke into a jog to reach Tsuna. "I'm glad you found me! When I realized I had forgotten to tell you where I was, it was already too late." By this time Gokudera had reached him and was scratching the back of his neck in shame. Tsuna, however, didn't even have the brain space to be indignant about Gokudera's uncharacteristic slip-up, so preoccupied with the little incident he had just seen he was.

"Um, Gokudera-kun?" He asked, interrupting the other boy as he scanned the crowd and muttered curses about Yamamoto. "What was that all about? I mean, a second ago. Weren't you with Dr. Shamal?" Though he felt automatically lame when he asked the question so poorly, and waited for Hayato to blow up or be similarly angry. He was, therefore, greatly surprised when the other boy's response was so mild.

"Oh, yeah. He just happened to be in the same area; he had been trying to pick up some girls, but they dumped him. Serves him right, fuckin' pedo. But, yeah, then he saw me, and treated me to a meal. They have some damn good Chianti Classico there." The last part was said rather musingly, throwing Tsuna into a further crisis at wondering how Gokudera knew what good Chianti tasted like, anyway.

"Gokudera-kun—you're just fourteen! You aren't even close to the legal age! And didn't you and Shamal just kiss? What's going on here?" Tsuna couldn't hold back the distressed wail in his voice as he clutched his head. He was prevented from going into a full-blown panic attack when something struck the bottom of his chin, hard, and grabbed his collar. He might have been inclined to think Gokudera had done this, if it hadn't have been for Reborn's face looming in his a millisecond later.

"Shut up and let Gokudera explain, Tsuna." Tsuna might have responded with a demand as to why Reborn was present, but Gokudera, sounding slightly puzzled, but not ashamed or angry, spoke.

"Sorry, 10th; it's just kind of normal for everyone to drink wine in Italy. Kind of like the table drink. I guess I forgot I was in Japan for a few seconds. And, besides, Shamal will get in trouble for letting me drink, if anything. And the kiss?" Gokudera gave an elegant shrug of his shoulders. "Shamal and I have known each other for just about ever. In Italy it's kind of normal to kiss as a goodbye and hello if you're close. Like a bow in Japan, 'cept with lips and stuff. It's not indicative of anything at all besides for time spent together."

"See, Tsuna? Going out proved to be a cultural experience." Said Reborn, as if they had just gone to a museum, and totally ignoring his charge's shocked state. "Gokudera, why not show Tsuna how you do a triple kiss in Italy? That way he'll feel more comfortable when he sees it again." Gokudera shrugged again and, before Tsuna could protest, leaned forward, gripped Tsuna's arms, and leaned forward to lightly press his lips against the other boy's face, switching adroitly from left to right and to left again, leaving Tsuna rather lost and dazed. Gokudera, Tsuna realized, smelled not unpleasantly of cigarette smoke, gunpowder, and shampoo, and faintly of old cologne (which must have been left over from Shamal); it was a strange, intimate sensation Tsuna had never been a part of before.

The situation was prevented from compounding when a familiar voice rang out from several yards away. "Yo!" Yamamoto was jogging in their direction, looking amused, before Tsuna could realize Gokudera was still holding his arms and step away. "What'cha doin', Gokudera?" Tsuna, at this point, willfully shut his brain down. It was just too much to handle all ready, and he'd only met up less than ten minutes ago. He could only hope, as Gokudera proceeded to unsuccessfully bait Yamamoto, that he'd never be expected to perform a triple kiss as the Tenth Vongola Boss. Reborn, as if reading Tsuna's thoughts, merely smirked.


End file.
